The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-10-01
Wanted Information.
Arkansa,o Traveller.


Joseph Hillim, an old fellow who
lives far away from business strife and
social hypocrisy, came to town the other
day and called at Col. Bulgarth's law
Office, and Bulgarth, being prospec-
tive candidate, invited old Josephus
home with him. Josephus is very
quiet man, man who longs for privacy
If he can take boiled ham along
with him. His modesty has never
placed an obstruction in the way of his
appetite, so when Bulgarth said, 'Uncle
10, you must take dinner with me, Uncle
10 threw quid of tobacco on the floor
and allowed that he wasn't very hungry,
but put on an air which gave the law
yer cause to hope that his hospitality
would not be thrown away.
The old fellow ate with that lackSof
reserve which pays high but eSpen-
sive compliment to cookery. Mrs.
Bulgarth was, she declared, much pleas
ed with the plain and unassuming old
man, and when he went away she hoped
that he might come again. Just then
she remarked:
wonder what has become of those
silver nut crackers 7 put them at that
old mans plate, but he surely did not
take them. It's very strange, though.
What on earth does that old man, living
away out in the hills, want with nut
crackersi No, l won't believe that he
is guilty
With woman's intuition, however,
she did believe it, and the next night
when the Colonel came home she asked:
when do you suppose that old fool
isgoing to bring my nut-crackers back7'
'Oh, he hasn't got your nut-crackers.
81 just know he has. l saw him look
ing at them.
'Yes,' the husband replied, "and
while he was here saw him looking at
you, but l noticed that he did not take
you away with him.
ooh, please don't be fool. Those
nut-crackers used to belong to my
grandmother, and l have been offered
good price for them, but l wouldn't
part with them
1T seems that you have.
She glared at him and replied When
l married you l did not think that I
would be expected to entertain thieves
Just then there came ring at the
door bell. Old Josephus was shown
into the sitting room.
Colonel said he, you don't blame
a man when he's bothered to ride
long distance after knowledge, do youF
Certainly not
'An' you don't mind answerin'
'portant question, do you7'
Surely not.
'Wall,' continued the old man, put
ting his hand into the tall pocket of his
brown jeans coat and hauling out the
nut-crackers, 'whut sort O. blamed bull
let moulds do you call these, anyhow
I'm a putty smart man, an wife she
amt slow, an we tried but blamed if
Lowed to go out squirrel shooting, an
as l tell you, l done my best, but nary
bullet,
They are my nut-crackers. Give
'em here i screamed Mrs. Bulgarth.
Take 'em; take 'em, said the old
man. I'm mighty glad to know that
they amt bullet moulds for my mind
is relieved powerful. While l was at
your table, an you KEEP on tellin' me
to hep myse'f, l thinks, hanged eff l
don't he myse'f, to them bullet moulds,
fur these folks amt go no use for EN-
Wall, l tuck 'em, an when l got home
1 told my wife that l reckoned that 1
had leetle the finest bullet moulds
she ever seed. Wife is mighty hand
fur fnery, an I thought she'd take a
dutch fit when she looked at 'em. An
putty soon got the ladle and melted
some lead an'-wall, you oughter seed
our disappointment when we found that
we couldn't get the hang O. the blamed
thing. Wife lowed that if she couldn't
make a better pair of moulds she'd
quit; an 1 thought that the best thing
could do was to come back here and
get little information. But as they
amt bullet moulds nohow-which
greatly he'ps me, fur l didn't know
but me an wife was losin' our minds
wy amt got nomore to say. Wall,
much obleeged for the information
Good day. Wait mint. Eff you've
a snack layin' round anywhar I'll eat
a few before CO.